Sellards Cuts C. Johnson’s Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series Points Lead To Seven
Sellards Cuts C. Johnson’s Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series Points Lead To A Mere Seven Points With Two Races To Go!
AURORA, Ill., (Jan. 31, 2006) – With a 1-1 AMA Arenacross class performance at this past weekend’s race at the Hampton (Va.) Coliseum, Thor/Honda/TUF Racing’s Brock Sellards sliced Chad Johnson’s (Yamaha) points lead down to seven points with two races (four main events) left on the 2005/’06 Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series tour.
Sellards now trails Johnson 342-335. “It’s Brock’s series to win,” said race announcer Tim Cotter. “Brock’s pretty much rolling now.”
On Friday night Sellards got out early and never looked back. His (Sellards’) starts would be the key to victory on the soft, rutted and tacky Hampton track.
“It makes all the difference in the world in Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series racing when you’re able to pull a good start,” said Sellards. “I knew coming into Hampton that it was crucial that I got great starts. I did and the results were excellent.”
On the other side of the spectrum is Chad Johnson. Seemingly riding in a “conservative” fashion to protect his points lead, according to Cotter, Chad Johnson would hesitate on the start on Friday and ended up tangling with AMA Lites class specialist Shawn Clark (Unbound/VRM.com/Kawasaki). This put Johnson out of the running for first, though he did fight back valiantly for second place.
“Brock got good starts, Chad didn’t,” said Cotter.
Also making for some exciting racing on Friday was newly named Kevin “Lap Time” Johnson (after his consistently fastest lap times) and Jeff Northrop (Thor/Honda/TUF Racing). Northrop would park Johnson in the Toyota Hairpin early in the race, only to have Johnson re-pay the favor late in the race to take third place overall.
And quietly impressive on Friday was Greg Schnell’s (ROCKSTAR/Suzuki) race all the way from dead last (following a first turn start crash) to 5th place, just behind Clark.
Saturday was all Sellards again as the Ohio native shot out early and led the race wire-to-wire. The de-tuned track made for some excellent racing, though not as aggressive as the past several weeks have been. Chad Johnson pulled a mid-pack start, then with two laps to go battled with Suzuki-mounted Zach Ames for 4th overall. Said Cotter: “Had Zach stayed on the gas we’d have had a six-point lead.”
The AMA Arenacross Lites class was all Jim Chester as Suzuki’s ageless North Carolinian motocross wonder swept the Lites class for the first time this year. Honda-mounted Roy Horton continues to race well also, going 2-2 in the Lites class on the weekend.
The Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series returns to action in this weekend when the world’s top arena-based motocross racers converge on FedEx Forum in Memphis (Tenn.) for Round Nine of the ten-round series. For more information on the Hampton race please visit www.arenacross.com or contact the FedEx Forum box office at (901) 205-2640.
Results
Friday
AMA Arenacross Lites AMA Arenacross
1.) Jim Chester, Suzuki 1.) Brock Sellards, Honda
2.) Roy Horton, Honda 2.) Chad Johnson, Yamaha
3.) Shawn Clark, Kawasaki 3.) Kevin Johnson, Yamaha
4.) Kody Molitor, Kawasaki 4.) Shawn Clark, Kawasaki
5.) Adam Blessing, Kawasaki 5.) Greg Schnell, Suzuki
Saturday
AMA Arenacross Lites AMA Arenacross
1.) Jim Chester, Suzuki 1.) Brock Sellards, Honda
2.) Roy Horton, Honda 2.) Kevin Johnson, Yamaha
3.) Joshua Schmitt, Honda 3.) Jeff Northrop, Honda
4.) Kevin Markwardt, Suzuki 4.) Chad Johnson, Yamaha
5.) Braden Parks, Yamaha 5.) Zach Ames, Suzuki
Arenacross Class Overall Points
1.) Chad Johnson 342
2.) Brock Sellards 335
3.) Kevin Johnson 294
4.) Greg Schnell 271
5.) Jeff Northrop 268
6.) Jim Neese 260
7.) Shawn Clark 225
8.) Zach Ames 191
9.) Scott Metz 156
10.) Jim Chester 137
Tickets are available online at www.arenacross.com, www.ticketmaster.com, www.tickets.com. For more information on the Toyota AMA National Arenacross Series log on to www.arenacross.com.
